Alive
by Isabel Night
Summary: Two years after Anubis' death, Sekhmet writes a letter to his friend telling him what he has learned about happiness. Would you like to read the letter?


**Disclaimer**-I will never own anyone in this story. Everyone belongs to his or her respective owners and producers. I would like to thank Cora and all the various people who looked over this story; without them, _Alive_ would not be possible.

_Alive  
Isabel Night_

Dear Anubis,

I must be the stupidest person in the world, writing a letter to a friend who has been dead for almost three years, but if I don't keep you up-to-date on all that has been going on in my life, then I would feel even more foolish for not keeping one of the promises I made at your funeral.

I still live in the Nether Realm; waking up every morning to attend to all of the government, military, and other such bureaucratic affairs that are needed to run a large kingdom. In my free time, however, I visit the old city of Edo, now called Tokyo, walk along the many crowed streets, and pay a visit to some of the human friends that I have made over the past two years.

I hate Tokyo; the city is too large, too crowded, and it has almost no meaningful characteristics. It is a city of steel and concrete, and I would much rather live in a place that has more of a traditional aura, like Kyoto. However, even in this soulless excuse for a mortal and national capital, I have found a small amount of happiness...a small amount of joy that keeps me going, even when things get difficult.

There is this one girl, Konoki Kiku, who sells the rice her family grows, at one of the many Farmer's Markets located in the city. She is not what the mortals would call "book smart," but she greets me everyday with a smile, and sells me her family's rice at a discounted price. Then there is Masaji Taro, a cook who works at Eriki Sushi Bar, the sushi bar I like to frequent when I am in the downtown area. He appears to be a plain, ordinary, and unassuming man, but once you get to know him, you begin to wonder why he is just a cook, and not the "CEO" of some corporate-level business.

Moreover, if you ever ask him why he doesn't run his own business, he will just shrug his shoulders and tell you, "I am happy to be a Sushi Cook; I don't want or need anything else."

I may not know much about mortals, but I do know that these two humans will never be wealthy, achieve a high-ranking status, or even receive any state-sponsored awards. Yet, Kiku and Taro wake up every morning with their minds refreshed, with smiles upon their faces, and with hearts full of thanks. They are happy, and because of that, I am torn between being happy for them, and being extremely jealous of them.

When I served Talpa, I held within my grasp, all of the wealth, power, and prestige that can be bestowed upon a high ranking warrior. Even so, I was never emotionally satisfied. It was almost as if there was an endless black hole in my heart, a hole that could only be filled with the need for long-term human companionship. With you, Cale, and Dais in my life that fleeting happiness almost seemed tangible; but when you sacrificed yourself to save Kayura and the three of us from Talpa's control, that happiness that I thought I had, once again slipped through my fingers.

Like any other person, mortal or immortal, who has lost a close friend; I went through an emotionally-painful grieving process. At the time, I thought it would be best for both my mind and heart if I cut off all form of emotional contact with any human being. I believed that if I tried to make any new friends that they too would also die and leave me alone in this world.

However, Kiku's warm smile and Taro's no-nonsense attitude, has taught me how to live again. A simple smile, a small philosophy debate on the meaning of life, or even having a firm handshake, has taught me how to enjoy the small things that often get overlooked. If I have found the meaning of happiness, then it is this: happiness doesn't include power, wealth, or prestige. It comes from the simple things that we overlook, the friendships we share, and the joyful eagerness of watch the setting of the moons, and the rising of the sun. After all, isn't it the small things that count?

Sincerely,  
Sekhmet Yamanouchi

_THE END_

**End Notes**-The names of the people in this story are written in the traditional Japanese way. That means that the last name is placed before the first name. And before anyone says anything, the two names in this story **ARE** Japanese Names.


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